By: by KSU Sports Information
KENNESAW, Ga. - Justine Young set a new program record with 25 kills as the Kennesaw State volleyball team lost, 3-2 (22-25, 18-25, 25-20, 25-17, 15-12) to Troy in the third match of the 2011 Owls Classic at the KSU Convocation Center Saturday morning.
"We have to have the heart and desire to finish a match off when we have the chance," said KSU head coach Karen Weatherington. "Troy deserves a lot of credit for coming back and finding a way to win, but we have to be able to finish a team off when we have a two-set lead."
The Owls (4-6) trailed, 19-16, in the first set before rallying to take the opening frame. Down 22-21, Young went on a tour de force, punching home four consecutive kills to let KSU take the opening set, 25-22.
Leading 8-7 in set two, the Owls went on an 8-0 run to pull away. Fueled by Troy (7-3) attack errors, the Owls got kills from Young and Knight in the run and also added a service ace from Keyaira Stevenson to fan the flames. The end of the set, however, would be a harbinger of things to come, as Troy was able to fight off six set points before Stevenson finished the set off with a kill.
KSU had a 17-16 lead in set three before the Trojans scored nine of the final 12 points of the set to get the win. Troy built an eight-point advantage in the fourth set, winning the frame by that margin to send the match to a final tiebreaker.
The Owls led the final set, 3-1, but Troy went on a 5-0 run to take the lead. KSU showed resiliency in the middle stages of the frame, as trailing 10-6, the Owls scored five straight points. Emily Bean and Stevenson each had back-to-back kills to knot the final set. After a Troy attack error, KSU had gained the lead by a single point.
That would prove to be the last lead of the early afternoon for the Owls. Three Troy blocks and a KSU attack error gave the Trojans match point, 14-11. A service error enabled the Owls to fight off one match point, but the final serve of the match went long for KSU, giving Troy the win.
Young's 25 kills broke the school's record, which she set in the season's first match against Charlotte. Stevenson had her second-straight double-double with 16 kills and 14 digs. Sara Metroka had 54 assists for the contest, with Rachael Albright adding a match-high 20 digs.
Breana Cullity's 12 kills led the Trojans, who used a big advantage in the service game and front-line defense to pull out the win. Troy had 13 aces and four service errors, compared to KSU's seven aces and eight service errors. The Trojans also out-blocked KSU, 10.0-3.0.
The Owls will be back in action Saturday night at 7 p.m. as they wrap up the Owls Classic against UAB. The Blazers were 3-0 winners over Eastern Kentucky in the second match of Saturday's play.
